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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2009-04-02, Page 6Continued from page 1 have flowed into the riding, Huron-Bruce has had problems retaining businesses, with Wescast consolidating its operations and Volvo closing, local businesses and manufacturers need a shot in the arm. Mitchell says that a single sales tax is something that the manufacturing sector and the business sector have been asking for in Ontario for a very long time. Mitchell says the single sales tax will make Ontario businesses and manufacturers more competitive and give them opportunities. “This has given us an opportunity to bring forth a budget that will lay the foundation, so when the economy does turn around, we will be able to seize all of the opportunities,” she says. “By moving forward with a single sales tax, it certainly has been the number one request from the manufacturing sector and the business sector for years and years.” This is one of the most important aspects of the budget, Mitchell says. In the world’s current economic state, Ontario businesses need to be there waiting to grasp the opportunity when the economy turns around, she says. “We recognize that our manufacturing sector, as well as our business sectors are hurting with our global challenges, so we feel the timing of a single sales tax is important, because the economy has to turn around,” she says. “We need our business community to have all the tools it needs to seize the opportunity.” In addition to the timing, Mitchell says the willingness of the federal government to contribute $4.3 billion towards transitional assistance made the decision easier. To help ease the burden the consolidated sales tax may place on average Canadians, the budget includes cheques to be delivered to Canadians throughout 2010 and 2011. An average family of four will receive three cheques totalling $1,000, while a single individual could receive $300 with the last of the cheques coming in 2011, just months before the next scheduled provincial election. Mitchell is confident that this budget has come along at the right time, despite opposition critics who point to the deficit the budget will create as a cause for concern. The budget will leave Ontario with a $14.1 billion deficit, which is the biggest in the province’s history. The plan, however, presented by Finance Minister Dwight Duncan last week in Toronto, is that Ontario will pull out of deficit in 2016. Mitchell says the whole ebb and flow of the budget for the next seven years of forecasted deficit and the path back into the black is budgeted. “There will be a balance of the revenue coming up and the expenses coming down and we’re going to do it in a very balanced way,” she says. Also in the budget, is a one per cent decrease in personal income tax for those in the lowest tax bracket and a one- year salary freeze for all MPPs, something Mitchell said was “fine.” PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 2009. THE EDITOR, The University of Guelph (UofG) is facing a financial crisis of unprecedented scale - with particularly negative implications for the Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) and agricultural education in this province. Rural Ontarians need to know what’s going on and what it means for them. The reasons for the crisis are several and include teaching and maintenance costs (many old buildings) which continue to grow faster than government and tuition revenues. But the result is that UofG must cut annual spending by at least $46 million. In turn, the university has assigned phased-in cuts to personnel budgets for individual colleges based mainly on teaching loads. The percentage varies among colleges within the university and because OAC has only eight per cent of undergraduate teaching, it has been assigned a cut of more than 40 per cent. When you factor out that a portion of OAC’s staffing costs are funded through UofG’s research contract with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the actual cut to OAC’s teaching staff exceeds 50 per cent. You cannot cut personnel by more than 50 per cent without having a huge impact on the quality of education. The current cuts apply primarily to teaching at the Guelph campus, but Alfred, Kemptville and Ridgetown are not immune. Tighter budgets will mean more cuts everywhere. A critical problem for OAC is the fact that fewer kids are enrolling in agricultural programs. Although OAC continues to have high numbers of grad students and researchers, the annual number of graduates from all OAC undergraduate degree programs has dropped to about 260, from approximately 400 in the late 1980s. The number of diploma graduates in agriculture has also decreased. Declining student numbers mean declining teaching budgets. There are significantly more jobs available than OAC graduates - but high school students aren’t seeing the benefits of an education in agriculture so they enroll elsewhere. What’s at stake is the supply of well-trained graduates for the next generation of Ontario agriculture and food, and perhaps the very existence of the OAC itself, regional campuses included. Agricultural education must become more of a priority for agri-food and rural groups – and more industry support is needed for student recruitment in particular. Despite its financial challenges, the OAC, along with 4-H Ontario is planning a new campaign to attract more students into agricultural careers – in part by emphasizing the exciting and rewarding opportunities that exist. Some funding has been provided by Monsanto Canada, the OAC Alumni Foundation and the Nuffield Foundation, but more is needed to do this properly. This crisis affects us all and it’s time for everyone to pitch in. Terry Daynard, President, Graduating Class OAC 65. MPP praises single tax THE EDITOR,The Executive of Branch420 of the Royal Canadian Legion is very concerned. We are having elections for all executive offices on April 7 and we do not have enough members to take office or help with the running of the Branch. There appears to be a lack of interest or time to get involved.Many nights we do notmeet quorum at our meetings, attendance at the general meeting has become that low. The Blyth Legion has long been an integral part of the Blyth and area community. We donate to many causes as evident in last week’s ad in this newspaper. Hundreds of volunteerhours are spent to make thispossible. Now we desperately need the help of our membership and we need new members to help keep the Blyth Legion alive and running. If a president is not elected the Branch ceases to exist and the charter must be surrendered, not only ours but the Ladies’ Auxiliary also.The Ladies’Auxiliary charteris tied directly to ours. So Blyth would lose two service groups. Even if a member comes forward to take the presidency, you need to have the executive offices filled also. We need a treasurer and secretary along with committee chairmen. The president does not runthe Branch nor can they doeverything by themselves. They chair the meeting and do not even vote unless to break a tie. The executive is the steering committee of the Branch but answers totally to the general membership at meetings. The general body has the final say in the running of the Branch.So now it is up to thegeneral membership of the Blyth Legion and to the members of our community, you must decide if the Blyth Legion and its Ladies’ Auxiliary is to survive or go by the wayside. Sincerely, The Executive Committee of Branch 420, Blyth. Letter Financial crisis at University of Guelph and OCA OM Official marks of the Ontario Power Authority. Coin image ©2009 Royal Canadian Mint – All Rights Reserved. Get your coupons today! Valid only until May 22. For details and participating stores visit: everykilowattcounts.ca Savings on electricity-saving products are back The Power Savings Event is back for spring! Visit participating stores and pick-up money-saving coupons on electricity-saving products like specialty CFL light bulbs, clothesline kits, pool pump timers and more. Save $2 5 o n E N E R G Y S T A R ® qualifi e d c e i l i n g f a n s WANTED 7 HOMES THAT NEED ROOFING 7 homes in your area will be given the opportunity of having an INTERLOCK metal roofing system installed on their home at a reasonable cost. This lifetime product is capturing the interest of homeowners across the country who want to know this will be the last time they will have to re-roof their home. Our product is environmentally friendly and comes with a transferable Lifetime Limited Warranty with an excellent choice of colours to complement your home and is going to be introduced to your local market. Your home can be a show place in your neighbourhood and we will make it worth your while if we can use your home. Please call Angelo: 1-888-696-0548 Toll-Free 24 hours 7 Days a week Letter to the editorBlyth Legion in danger of losing charter